Hello :P It is Wednesday and I am back with a new chapter. Even though this one does continue the story of Justin and Eli as well as the fact that their relationship is hidden to a lot of people, it kind of goes into the character of Misty's father, Jordan a lot more. He is of course the cousin of Eli. He is one of the people who does know about the relationship and probably a great deal of Eli's feelings. But here you can see what kind of multifaceted person he is! I hope you enjoy :3
Ages:
Jordan: 32
Eli: 34
Justin: 22
James: 43
Disclaimer: I own the story and the OCs mentioned!
Like a good few of these tales that I am recounting to you now that the time is right and that the hearts involved for most of the part are healed, I didn't actually witness this one! But I am proud to say that someone very close to me has told me of the little moments involved (and big ones too). He too, like the two beings involved in the unlikely pairings, has experienced heartache. And just like the two other people also, that wreckage and that breakage and that pain did not harden his core. The more that time passed, it actually softened it.
So I know that this tale is in safe hands. It is in safe hands with me. And it is in safe hands with Jordan also. In way, looking back after hearing this particular story and getting ready to tell it, I believe that this is his way of giving those two romantics a very public blessing. In fact, by the time that we reach the end of this story, you will understand that he gave exactly that a very long time ago as well. For Jordan is certainly not the type of person to keep two souls away from one and other. Even if they were destined to be that way anyway.
As the deep purple haired male and the deep violet haired male lounged on different sofas to the yellow haired male, Eli tried not to say a thing. Eli tried not to say a single thing at all. And so as he tried – as he so very tried – he puckered his lips very discreetly to not allow them to utter any word at all and he shuffled his body, clasping his own hands in his lap.
For once, the deep purple haired younger male next to him was oblivious to his easy-going albeit very real struggle and he was oblivious to his endearing fidgeting motions as well. Like the yellow haired broad shouldered male on the sofa adjacent to the two other people, his eyes were fixed firmly on the TV.
And yet, even though his gaze was directed towards the television and he was very much looking by the screen, judging by the time frame in which this event took place, I couldn't help but wonder if he was truly all that focused. Sure, he was most likely doing a good job at being polite and watching Jordan's favourite television show during the slot of late afternoon. Yet I get the feeling in retrospect that his mind was secretly dancing elsewhere. His brain was being gnawed at, chewed upon. His mind was being reminded of memories that had only just happened.
And because of this, a tiny yet forbidden smile couldn't help but decorate his lips. This is one of the things that I am certain of. Because even though Jordan's own eyes were fixed firmly on the television and he was taking in every movement and every audience laugh and very anecdote and every word, he too could somehow sense someone else's giddy aura outside of his bubble.
The yellow haired male briefly took his eyes away from the television host on the screen to shuffle in his own seat, crossing his leg over the opposite one after having them the other way before deciding to forgo that stance completely. His kneecaps departed from being so close to one and other and with soles pressed firmly on the floor, his clasped his own hands in his lap.
While doing all of this and yet still listening to his favourite television programme, he managed to catch a brief glimpse of Justin. That secret smile certainly was there! However, Jordan didn't share it. He merely noted it – along with the way that his elbow was propped up against the arm of the sofa and his non-ring clad balled hand was pressing against his own cheek.
Then the yellow haired water Pokémon enthusiast decided to go back to the present moment for good and what was on the television screen and for all to see during that particular present moment.
And rather amusingly, it was when one cousin decided to do this that the other cousin couldn't hold back his fidgeting as much as he had been doing for much longer and he certainly couldn't hold his words back any longer either.
This paired with the fact that Jordan's beloved show had briefly come off the air in order to have a commercial break made Eli positively burst. The deep violet haired male suddenly exploded and exclaimed with everything that he was thinking. Yet he still managed to do it with a grin.
"Thank god!" the Unovan male suddenly bellowed and because the deep purple haired male next to him was used to that sort of noise coming from the yellow haired cousin instead, his eyes practically popped out of their own slightly sunken sockets when he heard this eruption. In fact, his hand very much slipped away from being against his cheek! He had to steady himself while Jordan simply glanced over and stopped looking so airily blank and unreadable. The yellow haired male raised a bemused eyebrow but didn't comment on his cousin's outburst until the very next advert came on. Eli's feelings were made clear by what he uttered next. "Jeeeeeez, Jordan. You know that a show has run its course when the commercial breaks are far more desirable and riveting."
Contrasting his eyeball popping and surprised expression from moments before, the deep purple haired male's appearance changed all over again and he naturally found himself quietly snickering, untucking his long legs from being so close to his body and allowing them to stretch down onto the floor.
Justin glanced between the Unovan male to the right of him and also the yellow haired male directly adjacent. But he didn't say anything. He didn't say a single thing. He knew that the other two males were certainly going to make up for it.
The eldest Morgan son merely smirked to himself, looking down at his lap and his dimple appearing. He felt certain that he was going to be even more amused as time passed.
Rather impressively for having his favourite TV show greatly insulted by one of the few family members that he held dear, Jordan managed to keep his eyebrow raised for quite some time and not show any other expression. Because of this, even though Eli was naturally beginning to grin anyway at the knowing that his outburst was going to cause his cousin to interact with him, the Unovan male found himself grinning all the more.
Eli paired this grin with a head tilt and he looked expectantly at the yellow haired male, waiting. No doubt did that particular deep violet haired male know the yellow haired male almost more than anyone. And so, the Unovan male knew that more of a reaction was not going to come until he added more things. And so he did.
Shuffling forward in his seat all over again, the deep violet haired male continued clasping his hands together in his lap for a few more seconds before he broke them apart, gesturing wildly. Eli addressed Jordan in another booming, bellowing voice, and I knew for a fact that this playful volume was a far cry than the soft and low, hushed tones that he used when it came to the younger deep purple haired male.
"C'mon! Even you would have to agree, am I right? I'm not blaming it all on the host." Eli began all over again and Justin next to him most certainly knew that he was treading on egg shells, even if he was joking around and thus far, the yellow haired male was taking it well. While Jordan began to tilt his own head and showed off a grin and a tongue that poked out the corner of his mouth – showing that he couldn't believe how blunt his cousin was being and to his own blunt self of all people – Eli's hand gestures became all the more prominent. "I'm not blaming it all on the host. A retirement party is most definitely needed. But who she is interviewing is so dull! He can hardly string a sentence together, let alone be heard over the screaming audience."
Jordan tells me that Justin stopped looking at his lap at this moment and let out a quiet gasp. I gather for myself that this was down to the deep violet haired male being so insulting, but then the deep purple haired male found himself shaking his head, understanding that it wouldn't go down all that badly because it wasn't his favourite television host being brutally dissected.
However, there and then and in that moment, he finally properly and very outwardly reacted to his cousin. And loudly too! Shooting forward on the sofa, his own arms flailed about as he gestured wildly. I imagine that part of him wanted to dart his eyes around, looking for a spare cushion to sling at his cousin!
"Uh huh, you're one to talk! You can hardly get a sentence out at the best of times." The yellow haired male retorted and his animated body flung backwards against the sofa and folded his arms over his chest. Eli didn't take this response badly because even he knew it was partially true. And in addition to that, that was one of the traits that he shared with his cousin. Justin looked up all over again at the same time that Jordan folded forward yet again, this time grabbing a cushion in the process. He still didn't vault it towards Eli even if he did remark yet again. "You would be ten times worse in a situation like that! You're lucky you would never get invited to be on there. You're no way as rock star as the people that you look up to."
And as if by magic, even though Jordan and Eli were only bickering in an entirely playful manner, they were united there and then by the way that they both glanced in the direction of the deep purple haired male.
I am told that he since grew distracted all over again and even though he was continually smirking at what he was hearing, he had begun to occupy himself by rubbing his fingers from his opposite hand up and down where a ring on his right index finger would usually lie.
And then, almost as soon as he twigged on to the fact that he was being looked at very obviously by both the yellow haired male and the deep violet haired male next to him also – and his expression only just had a chance to full and furrow – Eli's own expression changed yet again as well.
The deep violet haired male's sunken yet focused orbs flickered very briefly over to his cousin to make sure that his attention was still taken by the people actually in the room, and then he stared at Justin even further.
In response to what his yellow haired cousin had said; Eli's playfully mischievous and argumentative expression completely mellowed out and softened to a wide eyed and almost unreadable look. After his face switched all over to that of saying "no, but he is" in response to Jordan's words and shuffling slightly closer to the younger deep purple haired male, Eli uttered actual words.
Justin was still none the wiser until he heard what the Unovan male would go on to say, and feeling slightly uncomfortable from the intense stare of both of the cousins.
"You've been on shows like this loads of times, haven't you?" the deep violet haired male began and now that the yellow haired male tells me this story, he believes that Justin didn't know that he was the one being addressed based on the fact that he hadn't been called a soft name. On the other hand, it could have been out of mild embarrassment. This was entirely possible from the way that Justin's face began to screw up. However, only Jordan noticed this, while Eli continued all the same. "You've been on that kind of show loads of times. Do you think me or Jordan would come across better?"
And following a softer gaze from the yellow haired male as he absentmindedly began observing the unnoticeable to some gesticulations from the youngest male in the room, he went back to staring all over again and twice as hard!
This most certainly made Justin uncomfortable all over again. And it was much more unbearable when it was paired with the growing embarrassment that his occasional televisions appearances had become a bit of the subject of conversation.
The deep purple haired male shuffled uneasily under the watchful intense eyes of both Eli and Jordan too and he stretched out his own legs even further to make it easier for him. And while the yellow haired male and the deep violet haired male too stared even longer, competitively waiting on an answer from the youngest male in the room, before their gazes could switch to a bit of a competitive smile, Justin blurted out, waving a dismissive hand.
"Oh, I'm not getting involved. This is all just fantasy." The eldest Morgan son responded awkwardly but then he showed off a bit of a smile to show that it was more down to him nearing being the subject of conversation rather than the stares he was receiving from the both of them. Justin showed off a bit of a smile before even Jordan or Eli's stares even relented. But not long after that, they did and they started being very childish indeed!
After the deep violet haired male got a little bit distracted with having a second look at the younger male next to him, the yellow haired male chose that as the opportunity to volt his pillow over to his cousin! It was lucky that he missed otherwise Eli could've been cut square in the lip by the zip of the cushion that was poking out from the material.
However, the deep violet haired male didn't seem to care about his near injury and acted promptly. After realising that he didn't have his own cushion to throw (he would have to yank one from underneath Justin and he wasn't going to do that) he decided to act completely immaturely instead.
Both the yellow haired male and the deep violet haired male had a couple of moments to playfully and mockingly bounce up and down on the sofa on their bottoms while muttering incomprehensible (and childish) insults to one and other before the deep purple haired male stepped in all over again. And this time it wasn't because he was asked.
"Do you mind not doing that? I'm still really achy from the weekend, you know." Justin uttered and from the way that his gaze travelled to the deep violet haired male next to him, it became very plain to see that these particular words were directed for him and him alone. Despite this, the yellow haired male was the one to react to this first and foremost and as he also stopped his antics and sprawled out, it became clear that it was because he thought something else about Justin's words rather than believing that they were meant for him.
The Unovan male was a lot slower to catch on to what the deep purple haired male was getting at and as well as this, for once he didn't respond playfully or flirtatiously. After stopping his own antics and nodding his head, Eli nodded his head a little softer and smiled in return when Justin offered one to him, reaching his hand briefly out towards his elbow but knowing not to go any further.
If the deep violet haired male was quietly and surprisingly disappointed about this, then he didn't have the chance to show it from the way that after the noises coming out of the television changed once more, Jordan sprawled out on the sofa all over again and rested his arms behind his head, addressing his cousin in particular with a loud and unfaltering voice.
"Oh Eli, I bet you are gutted that it's the last commercial before your very favourite show comes back on. You better watch intensely, you don't want to miss a single moment." The yellow haired male uttered mischievously with a very cheeky grin on his face and he switched his arms from being folded behind his head and folded them over his chest instead, leaving his thumbs tucked out.
The deep purple haired male was the one to react first and he uttered some amused and close-mouthed chuckles, but still didn't get too involved when he knew that these words were not for him. Even so, he absentmindedly reached his hand back out to Eli's elbow all over.
And whether it was this minute gesture or settling into the comfy atmosphere and his cousin acting like the cousin that he knew in spite of being in the company of the secret couple, something caused the Unovan male to act a little bit differently next.
But at first, there wasn't anything out of the ordinary. At first, all he did was utter light-hearted words back in response.
"Oh, I most certainly don't want to miss a single moment." Eli repeated his cousin's words in playful agreement and he spoke more in the tone that he usually used for the deep purple haired younger male – and this in itself got Justin's attention there and then. But it still wasn't anything to speculate over or be suspicious about. Eli uttered more words while beginning to lean closer to the eldest Morgan son, his elbow moving down to press against the bottom sofa cushions in order to support himself. "I'm going to watch with all of my heart."
Because the deep violet haired male uttered these words sarcastically, the deep purple haired male stopped mildly furrowing his brow to himself and wondering why Eli was beginning to awkwardly leaning closer to him, and showed off yet another smile instead.
No doubt did the deep violet haired male take this as the final invitation that he needed. That's how Jordan saw things anyway. As the yellow haired male absentmindedly and very discreetly observed things, he saw his cousin as being a bit more comfortable than ever before. And not only this, but he felt invited as well. And so, he invited himself to do the actions that he felt compelled to do.
At the same time that Jordan's beloved television show came on all over again, Eli's eyes fixed back over to the screen while his body did something very differently indeed. The Unovan male shuffled closer to Justin than ever before in the presence of another person then lay completely against him, resting his head on his lap and positioning himself so his own legs draped off and over the opposite arm of the sofa to where the deep purple haired male was leaning against.
Justin's own eyes had briefly fixed on the television screen when it stopped being a commercial break but his breath hitched in his throat when he felt this. He couldn't stop himself from looking down at Eli. In return, the deep violet haired male merely looked up at him for just a second or two and showed off the beginnings of a gentle smile before he too like Jordan looked away all over again, and focused on what was happening on the screen.
And it was this nonchalant behaviour as much as anything that made Justin continue staring down at the Unovan male cuddling closer and more comfortably on his lap, even in the presence of Justin!
In retrospect, I am sure that the eldest Morgan son regrets these actions because he staring so hard and making such a big deal out of it without saying any words at all could've most certainly put Eli off completely and for good. Anything could have made the Unovan male regret his actions as well as never do them again.
But in spite of this and in spite of the deep purple haired male's bewildered yet extremely touched staring actions, Eli didn't move an inch. And in spite of the deep purple haired male's bewildered yet extremely touched staring actions, Justin couldn't really see anything at all. The silhouette of Eli beginning to press further up against him and comfortably so was a blur to him. He could hardly see at all. He could only feel.
Justin could only feel his heart pummelling in his chest and his mind dancing and twirling and racing too. There in that moment, something was happening that he never believed would happen. And he felt like it was so very easy for him to blow it and he most certainly didn't want to do that. But he felt like he was going to do it eventually.
So he simply didn't dare move. He didn't dare move. He didn't dare breathe. Even though a moment had since passed when even Jordan nonchalantly tilted his head back to check that the two boys were watching the show on the screen (one of them was) Eli still didn't remove himself from his secret boyfriend.
And funnily enough, it was the same time that Justin began to give himself permission in his own match and was preparing to tell his body to do exactly that, that Eli's own body started to twitch and he began to lift himself back off from being pressed against his younger boyfriend.
Automatically, Justin's hand went out and gripped his shoulder. He didn't dare beg him to stay put. He didn't dare urge him to stay put. Even though he knew himself that he hadn't behaved very welcoming at all out of the surprise of it all, he still didn't want Eli to go away from him.
Thankfully, while Jordan subtly peeked back at the two other male's all over again while pretending to switch his folded arms over his chest to behind his head yet again, the deep violet haired male showed that he was as attentive to his secret boyfriend and his likes and dislikes, as he was to him.
Eli uttered with a little bit of a loving smirk causing his lips to quirk upwards and the beginnings of his teeth to show.
"You're feeling really tense over there, baby. Are you really that bummed at having to watch Jordan's trash show?" Eli questioned attentively and with a gentle head tilt but he still couldn't pass the opportunity to take a dig at his cousin! The yellow haired male blew his cover a little bit from the way that he was caught watching and listening. But this appeared not to be a problem and after Jordan clearly bellowed a "hey!" and all three of them including the deep purple haired male and the deep violet haired male chuckled, the deep violet haired male's expression changed all over again. His neck craned and his head rotated for real. Then he shook his head at himself, and tried to get up of Justin for good. "Oh shoot. You said you were still aching badly from our Unova walking and yet here I am lounging on you."
Eli was about to rotate his body just like he had been doing with his head seconds before when Justin thought about reaching out to his secret boyfriend's elbow to stop him from leaving his side. And then he considered grabbing hold of his shoulders.
However, after having an only second long lip bite to himself, he decided to take a chance. He decided to take a massive chance. Justin decided to go along with Eli's more easy-going attitude in the presence of Jordan and tried not to make too big of a deal even though it was a little bit when he reached out and cupped the side of Eli's cheek before he could leave him.
And almost as soon as Justin's trembling yet courageous touch traced Eli's skin and Eli could feel the pads of his fingers underneath his jaw, the deep purple haired uttered in a low voice just for him.
"No, lounge on me all that you like." The deep purple haired male told the deep violet haired male and the latter's face began to blush lightly at the same place that he was being touched. Nevertheless, before that electricity coursing through his veins could turn overwhelming and cause him to shake his boyfriend's touch away, that boyfriend of his spoke and it eased him. In actuality, it eased other people in the room. That was, until the sentiment of his playful words could be realised! "You're no problem. I just can't believe I'm seeing this episode yet another time."
And even though Jordan's head very swiftly turned behind him and he animatedly reacted to these words with expression and an incomprehensible yelp, the yellow haired male didn't have the heart to reach for a cushion and throw it at the younger male with the much slimmer frame. Perhaps it was because he would no longer have so many to lounge on! Or maybe it was because he always secretly looked out for him, as well as his cousin.
Either way, both Justin and Eli had a chance to look at each other a little longer that time after the Unovan male settled back on his lap all over and they smiled at one and other. That little moment was still brief, Jordan timed it. But even he couldn't deny the aura and the change in atmosphere after it happened.
Even he couldn't deny the aura when Justin's giddy little heart sped up all over again and after the three of them went back to watching the show, the deep purple haired male found himself tangling his fingers in the curly locks of his boyfriend as he lay upon him. Justin let out a contented sigh that couldn't be heard but most definitely could be felt. And not just by the Unovan male who was laying on him.
Though no doubt did he feel it as well. And he felt his fingers running all through his hair and his fingertips tracing along the shorter parts of his hair by his ears, leaving patterns on his skin.
It was true that when the yellow haired male became focused on anything really and not just his favourite show or things to watch then nothing much could distract him at all. He was very much like his cousin, Eli, in that way. It was true that the yellow haired male could be very distracted and easily distracted in one.
But on that day and in that instance and during that moment, it didn't matter whether he was heavily focused or easily distracted. These things didn't matter at all. Whether Jordan would go on to watch or observe or judge – these things didn't matter at all.
No in the mind's eye of Eli, anyway. Following his little trip away with Justin and the intimate time that they spent with one and other, the deep violet haired male felt a massive wave of purification. He felt purification and a wave of cleansing that was somehow far more intense and noticeable than how he simply felt when he was in the presence of Justin no matter what they were doing.
He felt almost brand new. And for the first time in his life, he felt unstoppable. He still could feel that little tickle of reality on his shoulder – and that was still very much present when he was surrounded by that little bit of his regular life that was his cousin, Jordan.
Yet for once, he ignored this brush of reality. He didn't mind the brush of familiarity. He was inspired by the brush of familiarity and he merged it with the whole new world and experience and things that he felt when he was with Justin.
He got a desire to merge with something else as well. And so he did.
No longer wanting to just lounge on his boyfriend's lap and feel his fingers running all through his hair and over the woollen, soft material of the grey sweater that he was wearing, Eli decided to lift his body up all over again and he decided to act on that particular desire of his.
All the deep purple haired male did in response to his boyfriend lifting himself away from him yet again was tilt his head in a questioning manner, before he purposely stuck his bottom lip out and made his eyes wider.
Eli merely chuckled at this and it became clear that not a single thing was going to stop him from going after what he wanted. Even after Jordan's head tilted behind to glance at what the boys were doing all over again, the Unovan male seized the moment and seized the day – and seized Justin by the face.
Cupping him gently underneath the chin with his thumb and forefinger, Eli pressed a kiss to the lips of Justin that were continually pouting. No doubt did they soon stop doing exactly this when the deep violet haired male's kiss lingered on his lips and he shut his eyes as he pecked his boyfriend! But still he didn't return it.
Out of more shock and more bewilderment, Justin didn't return it straight away and it caused Eli to pull back, opening his eyes. Though the yellow haired male had gone back to watching the screen and getting a sense of what was going on from his ears and from his intuition, with blushing cheeks to wordlessly show that he very much was flattered by the kiss, Justin's eyes went as wide as ping pong balls and gestured between the man in front of him and the man adjacent to him.
Eli very quickly caught on and he waved a dismissive hand. Justin still didn't relax. Justin's eyes still swivelled. Justin still felt very surprised by the fact that "Unovan Eli" had followed them back to Kanto!
It wasn't until the deep violet haired male let out a sigh – a very telling yet very fond sigh – and he leaned back in towards Justin all over again, that the eldest Morgan son caught on to the fact that it was very much what Eli wanted.
Justin was very much what Eli wanted. And because of this simple fact running through his mind, Justin could no longer resist.
The deep purple haired male melted as his boyfriend leaned in to kiss him all over again and his arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him in closer and pressing kisses back to his boyfriend to which they both very much enjoyed.
Their eyes remained fluttered shut. Their hands remained reaching out to one and other. Their bodies remained pressed against one and other. They could have been like that forever. They both felt like they could have been there forever. Justin for one absolutely felt that way. He simply couldn't believe how things had turned around for them, and even though he knew that Jordan didn't care at all and most likely wouldn't be staring, he felt his heart soaring more than anything about the fact that his boyfriend had finally kissed him in not only the presence of somebody else – but his cousin who was the only other person that he was closest too.
Justin really could have stayed like that forever, kissing his beloved boyfriend who he had fallen so hard for and kissing his lips. Kissing the lips of the man who he hung on to every word that he said and yearned after every gesture that he made.
But alas, they could not stay like that forever!
And like how Eli was the one to begin all of those stunning antics, Eli was the one to put them to an end as well. But still with a bit of a smile on his face, he finally pulled away from his boyfriend. He very much knew the response that he was going to get! But he pulled away anyway.
Like the deep violet haired male believed was going to happen, even though he was taken aback by the reaction that came from within himself, Justin's expression of a bottom lip puckered outwards and wide eyes appeared when he was no longer allowed to kiss the deep violet haired male. And as well as this, he let out a bit of a whine that caused Jordan's head to turn though he did his best not to show it.
Eli merely laughed, potentially risking an even louder whine from Justin when he pulled away one step further and began to climb off the sofa entirely. In hindsight, I can't help but wonder if the yellow haired male also wanted to groan at his cousin seemingly bailing on the television show!
But it goes without saying that it was the deep purple haired male and the deep purple haired male that needed to be the one receiving a soothing. So Eli leaned back down after standing up to his full (short) height on the carpet and he planted a kiss to the top of Justin's head before explaining himself.
"I need to go and visit the gentleman's room, my love. Now, don't stop me, otherwise I won't be around for the glorious moment of the credits finally rolling on Jordan's show." Eli uttered mischievously and he managed to hide his playful smirk towards his cousin by planting yet another kiss to Justin's head, feeling his deep purple locks tickling his chin!
It goes without saying that Jordan let out another yelp and this time very clearly and purposely leapt up and turned around, glaring at his cousin before he left the room. But despite the fact that Justin couldn't help but his expression and let out some chuckles when he heard these words, he still made a point of turning around and looking over his shoulder and watching, making whining noises as Eli left.
It was true that they were put on! But they most certainly came from a place of truth. Either way, somehow Eli managed to ignore them other than chuckling himself at something different and then he shut the door to behind him after he left the living room.
For some strange reason, there was a small part of Justin that believed that Eli was just playing a joke on him and he was going to return for more cuddles and more kisses after just a second of lingering outside the door. He felt his presence. Or rather, maybe he felt a presence. Or maybe he was mistaken entirely.
That had to be the case when multiple seconds passed and Eli still didn't enter all over again in a hurry. Justin finally had to decide that he was wrong. So with a sigh, he shook his head to himself and slipped back contentedly into the present, stretching his legs out the full length of the sofa like Jordan and folding his arms over his chest like him as well.
And speaking of the yellow haired male, they made a brief and polite eye contact as they both settled out. It's true that for most of the part, Justin felt an ease around his father's best friend at the best of times. But still, he showed that there was still a little bit of shyness and this shyness was only heightened from the way that his new love interest was none other than Jordan's cousin.
This was apparent from the way that Justin's lips pressed into a bit of a polite line and his arms hugged further over his chest as the yellow haired male stared longer than the deep purple haired male would have liked. He decided to bring up the point that Eli last made before he left the room.
"He must really break your heart, huh?" the deep purple haired male uttered a little stiffly but it was trying to be casually and it had very much an air of underlying friendliness to it. There was an underlying friendliness that had always been there between the two of them and very much needed to make a return, even though Justin had to hide his affection for his cousin to the other cousin most of the time.
The yellow haired male merely continued staring for a little bit longer. And after the deep purple haired male started to shuffle slightly in his seat and his eyes darted all over again and the silence being the only thing that he was receiving from the much larger male, Jordan merely let out a bit of a "mmhmm" noise.
However, thankfully rather quickly following that (though probably not from Justin's point of view) the yellow haired male uttered more words. In fact, he propped himself up a little further with those muscular arms of his and he turned to look directly at the younger male.
Sea green orbs locked onto the gradually bewildered expression of the younger male.
"Don't break Eli's heart." The yellow haired male retorted and the way that it came out so simply and levelly and non-threateningly caused Justin's lip to quirk up unsurely before he let out some nervous chuckles, not really understanding why Jordan was suddenly saying that. And in addition to this, he didn't know if it was some kind of joke that he didn't understand! Either way, Justin instinctively sat up and assumed the same position of the broader male as he planted his feet back on the ground all over again and sat up properly, his hands clasping in his lap. It was then and only then that Justin realised how the two cousins had the same exact stare. Though he believed, he could at least read Eli's. "I ain't never seen him do anything like that in front of him and I ain't never seen him dote on anyone the way that he just did."
Jordan broke his moment of unfathomable seriousness by widening his eyes in the same way that Justin often did and darted his pupils all around his sockets, indicating how surprising his cousin's behaviour was to him. It is my personal belief that he secretly wanted it to last also.
The deep purple haired male tried to continue assuming the same position of the much broader male. But he found the need to do things a little more centric to himself when he felt himself on the spot and caught off guard at the sudden serious chat from the yellow haired male.
Justin didn't know what to say at first, and he didn't know where to look. Running a hand through his locks and trying to work things out in his mind, Justin didn't know what to say and he didn't know where to look.
And then like was the usual direction that he was known for taking, he went with what he believed was right. And he went with the truth. It's a shame that the deep purple haired male couldn't take that trait of his with him when it came to the demise of him and Eli's romantic relationship.
"I… You know I'm not like that. You know I couldn't want anything less than to do that." The deep purple haired male began flatly and he started to believe that he was coming across all wrong from the way that Jordan merely let out that "mmhmm" noise yet again and he slowly nodded his head. Even though it was a little uncomfortable for him, Justin leaned further off the sofa to talk to his father's best friend, running a hand through his hair all over. He couldn't stop himself from exhaling, miffed, along with the words that escaped his own lips. "Didn't… Don't you trust me…? Didn't I make that clear when I first asked you if you were okay with me having another go at things with Eli?"
In retrospect, I wish that I knew whether Justin was glad or filled with more delayed anxiety at the way that Jordan's unfaltering self very promptly answered. He didn't very loudly answer. And I believe that that is telling.
"Look… All I'm saying is that I can tell that things are going well for the two of you. And I want you to remember that there are more sides to Eli than the ones on show right now and the ones that you have seen. I've seen, even… And I don't want any of them to get broken." Jordan articulated and he tells me of the frown and the quietness that took over Justin's face the more that he got into his words. But this wasn't the reason that he added more at the end. And it wasn't because Justin briefly looked thoughtfully down at his lap either as he nodded his head. It was because – like the deep purple haired male – he was being honest as well. "Of course I trust you, Justin."
The eldest Morgan son exhaled very plainly when he heard this off-hand conclusion and that couldn't be stopped. Even so, he took another minute or two to look up all over again. And he took another moment or two to answer with his own words.
In fact, Jordan had begun to settle himself back into a more relaxed and comfortable position by the time that words had entered Justin's mind and he decided that he wanted them to be heard.
The deep purple haired male showed off a bit of a wan smile. The deep purple haired male shuffled a bit. His ran his own hand up and down his arm and settled his hand up the sleeve of his white t-shirt. He made eye contact with Jordan all over again and finally uttered.
"Thank you for believing in me… I can't believe any of this. But I am unbelievably elated that things are going as well as they are and I would never dream of doing anything to ruin that. Let alone hurt Eli." Justin expressed himself and it was only then when he too uttered the name of the man he loved that he was filled with appreciation for the way that Jordan had called him as such as well. He hadn't referred to him as "my cousin" even though of course he was exactly that. That gave Justin the sense that Jordan bestowed upon the deep violet haired male freedom to do as he pleased. And whether it was intentional or not, Justin felt that little bit of freedom for him as well. Beginning to grin slightly shyly at this notion but as well as the words that he would go onto say next, the deep purple haired male began to rise from the sofa. "I should go and locate that Eli of ours. I can't have him getting lost in my house yet again."
The deep purple haired male listened for Jordan's response. That time, he was not put off and he didn't get any strange feelings from the way that he let out that "mmhmm" noise for the third time. Nor did he feel the need to express with words that he wasn't avoiding any further conversation by leaving the room to go and find Eli.
Even so, before the deep purple haired male left and as he left out of a different door to which the deep violet hared male had decided to exit, Justin found it natural to give the shoulder of Jordan a bit of a squeeze.
The yellow haired male looked down at that particular spot after Justin had departed for good and he felt that lingering touch even when the younger deep purple haired male had gone. He really did know that he could trust the eldest Morgan son with his cousin. And truthfully yet very much wholeheartedly he knew that he could trust his cousin with the eldest Morgan son also.
Though unfortunately yet he didn't express it at all, and even there and then, he got the feeling that there was something that couldn't be trusted. And it wasn't whether those two men would be able to work things out at all. It was whether the world could actually allow the two of them to be together.
He knew better than anybody how much things could swiftly change and even things that for some time were meant to be, had a bit of an expiration date. And he knew that other people's reactions (or lack of them) to certain things could be a determining quality in the longevity of a relationship.
The truth was Justin and Eli had nothing but wholehearted support from the people that did know about their relationship. But of course, there was a great deal of people who didn't know of it at all. And part of Jordan wondered whether Eli would ever be comfortable with every single person knowing on it.
He had come a long way, to be sure. But was it too much to ask of him to go even further? Jordan thought that. Jordan thought of his cousin and wondered how things were going to pan out in the long run.
It came to the yellow haired male's attention there and then that there was somebody else thinking of the future as well. And it wasn't the deep purple haired male and the deep violet haired male giddily wondering about their future together. Although it was someone very close to the deep purple haired male, it wasn't him.
Yet Jordan knew that that person was there without really having to look at all and without the door that Eli exited out of having to open further at all. Raising a subtle eyebrow and switching his position on the sofa, the yellow haired male very much addressed the person on the outside. And he managed to do it with all of the directness yet composure in the world.
"You don't fool a single person, James, I know that it's you out there." The water Pokémon enthusiast called to the other person that he trusted most in the world but he still managed to do it discreetly, not looking up even though he sensed the lavender haired male approaching said door before opening it with a bit of a bashful yet concerned and fatherly look on his face. Jordan didn't look right at him right away. He continued looking around for the remote, intending to actually turn the volume down. He didn't look at his best friend until he stood right in front of him. And then when he looked right at him, it was like he was seeing right through him. He sighed empathetically. "I knew you were out there. I knew you were worrying."
It is rather unusual for James to respond to words promptly on any occasion at all. So it just goes to show how much certain things were secretly on the forefront of his mind from the way that words tumbled out of his lips so very quickly after the yellow haired male spoke back to him.
Pushing his own locks out of his eyes and continuing to look concerned but in a way that showed he didn't really want to intervene himself, James furrowed his brow and lines formed between his eyebrows and above them. An exhale escaped his lips. Then he couldn't help but verbalise his concerns.
"Of course I am. I heard you intervening. I heard you giving my son the talk. Does that mean…? Do you think…? Should I…?" James tried to speak but he ended up being very unlike himself by rambling ungracefully in spite of the fact that in his mind, he eloquently had everything that he wanted to say.
In response to this, Jordan began to chuckle. But needless to say, it was not in a mean way. It was not in a mean way at all. He finally hit the mute button on the TV. And then he stood up.
He interjected his very best friend, not trying to reassure him but just telling him things the way that he saw them.
"You don't need to worry. You're worried. But you don't need to be. Because I'm not." Jordan started, and already the lavender haired male's shoulders threatened to heave as he longed to inhale and exhale, for once believing that he and his best friend were going to be on very different sides. However, before he had a chance to do this – his eyes only simply had a chance to soften and with concern as well as patience – Jordan continued. He reached out to James, with his words long before he reached out with his touch. "I'm not worried… This is the first time that I haven't worried about Eli. So I know that you don't need to worry about Justin either. But if you can't do that, at the very least, please don't get involved."
The yellow haired male tells me that James really was trying to listen and he was doing exactly that. Even though he had finally had the chance to inhale and exhale and his attention broke away lightly as soon as he noticed something, he had indeed been listening.
But like the yellow haired male, and unlike the deep purple haired male and the deep violet haired male would go on to do, the lavender haired male was equally as honest. His expression reacted truthfully. He couldn't stop himself from tilting his head towards Jordan knowingly.
Admirably for him, the water Pokémon enthusiast caught on rather quickly. He held his hands up. He nodded his head, agreeing that he had started to get involved a little bit. But then his hands fell down to his eyes and his expression somehow softened all the more.
He uttered more words that were not designated to comfort. They were just how he viewed things. And thanks to that attitude of his, it wouldn't be long until other people felt the same as well.
"Point is… I don't want anything to hurt Justin as much as you do. I don't want anything to hurt them both. And that could…" Jordan trailed off and from his point of view it was done a little lamely. So his hands started to fidget by his sides. But I imagined it the way that I believed it was meant to come across and deep in my heart I knew that Jordan had succeeded.
From the way that things happened not just in the minutes after that but in the months also, I knew that the yellow haired male had succeeded.
James heard his best friend's words and he really heard them. He didn't just hear them and they registered with him because he was so very close to the yellow haired male. But he heard them and they registered with them and they made sense to him because even he couldn't deny himself of the truth.
It was true that he cared about Justin almost more than anyone. It was true that because he helped form his heart, he didn't want anybody else to break it in a single second. But thanks to Jordan, he had the chance to realise that that was the risk that you took when you allowed yourself to fall in love.
And the lavender haired male didn't have to think things too hard at all. He simply wanted his son to fall in love and experience things that made one feel alive – even if it didn't last forever.
There and then and in that moment, the lavender haired father thought to himself. He thought to himself briefly but he thought to himself hard. I can very much see in my mind the way that his brow must've eased and his gaze must've softened and this caused a much less serious version of Jordan to pop out all over again before that levelness to him returned yet again. He really was as interchangeable as the sea. And that is why we love him.
Jordan let out a friendly and welcoming noise that indicated the invitation of an embrace and after James allowed his guarded disposition win once more before he gave it up entirely and he showed this by rolling his eyes and pretending to shake his head. But then he smirked for good. He smirked for good as he allowed Jordan to embrace him tightly with those strong arms of his and the two good friends held one and other.
That smirk on James' face turned to a line of level trust when as the yellow haired male continued embracing him in a very tight and suffocating yet welcomed way, he uttered just one more thing in his ear before they would drop the subject for good and to simply allow things to be.
"I care about Justin as much as you do… And I watch just as closely as you do too." Jordan murmured to him and once again forgoing his usual demeanour, the lavender haired male reacted promptly there and then too.
Paired with being in the strong arms of the person that he trusted almost more than anyone, the whispering words of wisdom from the physically stronger male allowed James at last to act with as much freedom as the two of them were trying to grant Justin and Eli.
The lavender haired male couldn't stop himself from embracing Jordan tighter in return and almost squeezing the lights out of him back out of gratitude for his support!
Even so, things really did always have to come to an end and Jordan and James' hug eventually came to an end as well.
But when they pulled away from one and other, they both planted a kiss to each of each other's cheeks. And rather amusingly, it was this that Justin and Eli ended up walking in on! Rather luckily, it was this that Justin and Eli ended up witnessing.
The deep purple haired male really didn't think anything of it at all for he had seen it many, many times in his life! And he also most certainly didn't bother thinking anything of it because he was too busy enjoying the way that Eli was continually allowing him to wrap his arms around him even in the presence of Jordan and James.
While Justin wrapped his arms around him and lightly yet adoringly nuzzled into the woollen material of the grey sweater that he was wearing, Eli's eyebrow rose like a fish hook was pulling his brow upwards. And this gesture was towards the affection of James and Jordan – not the affection he was allowing his secret boyfriend to bestow upon him.
Like was often the case, the Unovan male had words. And so, he uttered them. Folding his arms over his chest while Justin continued embracing him, Eli shook his head in light bewilderment.
"I will never understand why the two of them are like that with each other. It is just bizarre!" the deep violet haired male announced bluntly but airily all the same before shrugging, his hands moving to his boyfriends hands as they were on him.
Now, I find it very, very funny and very, very telling that this was the first time that the lavender haired male was seeing Eli allowing Justin to loll all over him like that and in the presence of others. But instead of focusing on that, he focused on the words that the Unovan male uttered. He lolled against Jordan a little bit himself and couldn't stop his expression from dramatically changing, defensively frowning.
Justin caught on and felt the urge to swallow. He did not want his father's opinion of his relationship with that same blunt Eli coming out when things were going to well between them. He held onto his boyfriend more. Eli held more onto him back, not that he caught on to why he was doing that!
Maybe it was a good thing that his sunken yet observant eyes sometimes missed a good few things. It gave Jordan's naïve self the opportunity to point things out and point them out very gleefully!
And needless to say, he did there and then and in that moment. Mocking the stance of both Justin and Eli but playfully so, he pretended to wrap his arms around the lavender haired male and nuzzle the white and crisp shirt that he was wearing.
The lavender haired male tried to continue the sceptical look that he was showing simply to make a point but then he rolled his eyes and it faltered, his usually charming expression appearing yet again and with added amusement. He shared a look with Justin. But then of course, Jordan took the spotlight. He announced. And he announced teasingly right over to Eli.
"Oh, I wouldn't say things like that, my dude. That is no way to warm up your future father-in-law." The yellow haired male uttered very playfully and very purposefully and very plainly and needless to say, a whole different array of reactions appeared in front of him.
Justin very quickly and very bashfully ducked his head and blushed before squinting, his non-ring clad finger itching the side of his own cheek. Jordan hummed smugly, continuing to grin and hold onto his best friend. James raised an uncertain eyebrow but couldn't stop a sparkle in his own eye when he sensed the response that his son was having.
And as for Eli? Eli's arms fell away from Justin's body very obviously. But then his hands found themselves making their way towards his shoulders. He looked a little regretfully. Then he looked a little bashfully. But then he looked unusually contentedly. He looked very contentedly over at the younger male all over again.
He didn't say anything. He didn't say a single thing and that was telling all in itself. He didn't want to jinx anything. He didn't want to sway anything. He didn't want to push anything. He didn't want to push anything that wasn't meant to be. He simply wanted things to be.
He wanted to be beside Justin for as long as possible.
That would be his thought forever and always. Even if they stopped merging as they once did and when they were younger. They were always meant to have a future together. And maybe Jordan was certain of that all along.
He had found life after death. Justin and Eli found life after love. They found a life together after their love together. The lives that they were truly meant to embark on. And I knew that Jordan thanked his lucky stars that he had the opportunity to live a second time and see the ins and outs of all of that. In fact, he told me exactly that. And I believed him.
The End.
There you go! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed :3 I've been thinking about the character of Jordan a lot lately, and not just in the context/timeline of Justin and Eli's romantic relationship. I certainly hope to go more into his character in between uploading the tales of the two love birds! It's funny because with everything he has been through, there's a huge possibility that he views himself as weak or unmanly. But I think this chapter goes into how honorable and admirable he truly is. He is the type of person to only get involved and offer his opinion if it is asked of him. In the context of his cousin and Justin, he just wants things to work out - and them not to get too hurt. But he also believes in taking a step back. He believes in things unfolding for themselves. Which is a huge asset to his character, as well as an important thing in the romantic relationship :3 You can see here that James is one of the people who also knows about Justin x Eli together but he does worry a fair bit. That will be something else to go into. I like here that there's a moment in the conversation with Jordan where Justin hints that it isn't his first time round with Eli. Because that's the truth. That will come up soon enough :P Thanks again for reading and I will be back next Wednesday so see you then!
AmyBieberKetchum signing out :)